Rate My Professor Julia Reisser

Dr. Julia Reisser is an accomplished oceanographer and marine scientist whose research has significantly advanced the understanding of marine plastic pollution. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography (2007) and a Master of Science in Biological Oceanography (2009), both from the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil. She completed her PhD at The University of Western Australia in 2016, focusing on characterizing ocean plastic pollution in waters around Australia under the supervision of Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi. Supported by prestigious scholarships including the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Australian Postgraduate Award, UWA Top-Up Scholarship, CSIRO Top-Up Scholarship, and PhD Completion Scholarship, her doctoral work laid foundational insights into plastic concentrations, characteristics, and pathways.

Early in her career, Reisser served as a Mentor in Wildlife Biology at Murdoch University from January to July 2012. She subsequently held key roles such as Project Manager and Chief Scientist at The Ocean Cleanup Foundation (2015-2017), leading expeditions across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic oceans. From March 2018 to September 2019, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville. Currently, she is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ULUU, pioneering climate-positive biomaterials from seaweed to replace fossil-based plastics, and Adjunct Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia since November 2018. Reisser's research specializations include oceanography, marine ecology, sea turtle population dynamics, and plastic pollution impacts. With over 30 peer-reviewed publications cited more than 17,000 times, notable works include "Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic" (2018), "Pollutants in Plastics within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre" (2017), "River plastic emissions to the world's oceans" (2017), and "Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea" (2014). Her contributions extend to peer review for journals such as Science, PNAS, Nature Communications, and editorial roles at Frontiers. Reisser has received the Young Researcher Award from CNPq Brazil and various research scholarships. Her influence is evident in media coverage by CNN and The Financial Times, and participation in United Nations events, promoting solutions to ocean plastic pollution through innovation and policy.